


Night Time

by glmmer



Series: To Thaw a Frozen Heart [1]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Angst, Depressing Times, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, probably making this a series, welcome enjoy my southern isles headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 06:25:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16805233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glmmer/pseuds/glmmer
Summary: While Anna sleeps, Hans reflects on their tumultuous relationship.





	Night Time

Hans gets no sleep most nights. Instead, he spends his hours watching Anna, watching her body move ever so slightly at her intake of breath, her features soften and relax as she exhales. She looks so relaxed, so utterly peaceful, when she rests, whenever the gentle hand of sleep takes her away.

One would not know her despondent, miserable, _cold_ nature had they seen her only in this state, as she gently curled into her oh so loving husband’s arms. Little would they know night was the only time she’d let him touch her, the only time she’d act like anything resembling a wife.

She was hesitant to marry. In fact, she resisted it with everything she had.

 _He killed my sister_ , she’d scream at her handmaiden, the councilmen, anyone who spoke to her of anything having to do with her betrothal. _He’s a murderer. I will not marry a murderer._

That was all she’d offer anyone. He’d spend nights outside her door, begging her to let him in, to let him explain why he’d done what he’d done out on that fjord, why he’d left her freezing in that room while he set out to kill her sister.

“Everything I did was out of love for you,” he spoke to her wooden door one night, desperate to see her beautiful features once more. “It was the only way to save your kingdom, to save _you.”_

“Because you don’t love me,” she finally responded. He could hear the hoarseness in her voice, the exhaustion, the toll of her nights spent crying. “Your kiss didn’t work. You don’t love me. And _so you killed her._ ”

“It’s foolish to believe what a bunch of trolls told you. What do they know of me, of you, of us? I assure you, my love for you is true. Your stupid trolls were wrong. The act of true love was me risking it all to save you, she could have _killed_ me-“

“Go away,” she ordered him, the anger and hatred evident in her voice.

“Isn’t this what your sister did to you?”, he asked, after a moment of silence. “Shut her door in your face and refused to speak with you?” He shook his head, clicked his tongue, acted the part of a disproving father. “My dear, sweet Anna, who would’ve known you were such a hypocrite?”

The telltale sound of glass breaking echoed off her door. She must’ve thrown a plate, a figurine, something at him. He chuckled at her childish manner as he walked back to his quarters, to _the King’s quarters._

* * *

Eventually, her behavior started to concern the palace staff. The councilmen brought in a physician, who asked Hans to tell him what he’d seen.

“Nothing. She refuses to speak to me.”

“Nothing at all?”

Hans shrugged, feeling his lips tug down into something resembling a frown. “She won’t see me. The last time we spoke, she threw a plate at my head, which was stopped only by her bedroom door, and whenever her maids ask if she’d like to see me, she screams so loudly I can hear it from my office.”

The doctor nodded, not bothering to look at Hans as he scanned an old book for a diagnosis, a cure, _something._ Hans felt a twinge of something resembling sadness hit his chest, unsure if it was pity for Anna, or for himself.

“Ice baths are my suggestion,” the doctor declared to Hans, after several minutes of silence. “It might help snap her out of her current state. It’s unnatural to grieve this heavily for so long.”

“You think putting a girl who nearly froze to death in an _ice bath_ is going to help her?”

“I’m not sure what else to suggest, Your Highness.”

“Absolutely not.” Hans slammed his fist on the desk. “That’ll just make it worse. I won’t put her through that.”

“But, Your Highness…”

“My answer is no,” he rambles, the urgent need to protect Anna, innocent, sweet little Anna overcoming him. “As her fiancé, and as her regent, I refuse. She will overcome this. She needs time. Believe me, there is nothing I want more than for her to open that door and let me in. But, I will not dunk her in freezing water just to get her to speak to me. She deserves the time she needs to grieve.”

The doctor collected his things and smiled at Hans. “Your love for Princess Anna is as strong as an earthquake, Your Highness. She’ll recognize it soon enough, and if she doesn’t, you know where to find me.”

As the doctor exited, Hans couldn’t help but laugh. _Love?_ What did he know about love?

* * *

By the time his brothers arrived, it’d been a month and a half since that fateful, _snowy_ summer day. He was thankful only four of them were coming, and only for a few days to help draft a new treaty with Arendelle, in order to secure a stronger alliance as a result of his impending marriage.

Luckily, it was Jehan and Lorent he’d be working most closely with. Of all his brothers, those were the two he’d least like to see run down by a wild herd of horses. Maksim and Matheus, the twins, most likely tagged along merely to annoy him, but he was the acting King of Arendelle. And what were they?

Maksim and Matheus headed off to their rooms moments after setting foot in the palace, while Lorent excused himself to the library to compare policies on trade and military practices. Jehan patted Hans on the back, making him jump.

“Congratulations. Where is she?”

“Her room,” Hans grimaced. _Her room._

“Ah. Will she be joining us for the drafting? Or for dinner, at least.”

“No. She– _her Highness_ refuses to open her door. Refuses my company. She _certainly_ won’t be coming out to meet you.”

Jehan bites his lip and nods. Hans could see him thinking, stewing over the information given to him. That was just what Jehan did – think. And then offer some sage wisdom. It’d been years since Hans had listened to any of his advice, and he didn’t plan on starting back up just because of Anna.

It was a small act of defiance, in Hans’s eyes. Jehan, who had acted as his protector following his mother’s death when he was just six, left to command the navy, leaving Hans alone. He’d burned all the history and science books his older brother had given him, and swore to never take his advice again.

It was his fault. Him leaving was the catalyst to years and years of torture from the others.

“May I see her?”

“I just told you. She doesn’t open the door.”

“Not for you. You did execute her sister.”

“I did that for _her._ She’d be a block of ice if I hadn’t.”

“That’s not what she wants to hear right now. Where’s her room?”

Hans rolled his eyes. Leave it to Jehan to think he could fix everything. It was obnoxious, conceited… he couldn’t fix this. Couldn’t fix Anna. No one could.

“She won’t see you, Jehan.”

“Let me try.”

 _Conceited. Let him try. Prove him wrong, prove_ **_one of them_ ** _wrong, for once in your life._

“Second floor. Take a left after the stairs. Last door on the left.”

* * *

Anna stirs in her sleep, her eyebrows furrowing as she curls further into Hans’s chest. During the day, she’d push him away. But the rules are different at night.

He absentmindedly twirls a finger through a strand of wavy hair, smiling as her eyes gently flutter open to look into his.

“It’s only a quarter past three. You can go back to sleep.”

She repositions herself in his arms, frowning slightly.

“What is it?”

“Hold me tighter. I’m _cold_.”

* * *

Of course she’d open the door for Jehan. _Of course._

“She’s hurting, Hans. Badly. And she’s scared.”

“Of me? Did she tell you she’s afraid of _me?_ ”

“Not explicitly,” Jehan said, taking a sip of whiskey. “But she definitely is. And she has good reason to be.”

It took all of Hans’s strength not to launch himself across the table and smack his brother. Or to act as Anna did and throw his glass at Jehan’s head.

“What does she have to be afraid of? I’ve treated her perfectly well–”

“You didn’t even take your fucking gloves off, Hans. She had to look at you, covered in her own sister’s blood.”

“I had to make sure it worked!”

“And when she resisted you, you sedated her against her will. I’d be scared of you too.”

Hans grumbled before sitting down and taking a long sip of his drink. He wanted to say something, to rebuke Jehan, but he could come up with nothing. He’d wanted a kingdom. He hadn’t set out to hurt anyone, but one thing had led to another…

God, he was a _monster_ . He’d set out to prove his brothers wrong, but had _become_ them in the process.

“Give her time, Hans. She has a lot of healing to do,” Jehan said, pausing for a moment, mulling over whether or not to continue. “She’s a lovely girl, Hans. Smart. Funny. Absolutely beautiful. She reminds me of your mother.”

“Stop. That’s weird.”

“It’s not. She has her poise. She’ll make a great Queen.”

“And then she’ll throw herself off a landing. Don’t talk about my mother.”

* * *

His brothers didn’t stay long, only about three days. The vowed to return for the wedding, this time with Rikard and Idris and the others.

“Make it fast, Hans. We need this alliance,” Lorent said before boarding the ship.

Jehan hugged him. “Don’t rush her,” he whispered. “Give her the time she needs.”

And so he did.

A week passed. He focused on paperwork, on reading up on the customs and traditions of Arendelle. On scouting through the old King’s journals, seeking to find some sort of answer as to why his eldest daughter was cursed in such a way.

Then, it happened. A soft knock at the door, as he prepared for bed. He assumed it was a servant at first, but still, he went to the door and opened it.

There she stood. Shivering, her eyes puffy from weeks of crying. She was dressed in only a thin shift with a robe wrapped tightly around her. Anna looked up at him through her tears.

“I’ll marry you,” she murmured, her voice sounding as though it might crack and turn into screaming sobs at any moment. “I’ll marry you, Hans.”

“Anna…”

“You’re still a monster. You’re a despicable, disgusting man. But you’re all I have left. And I think… I think I’m all you have left, too.”

 _Jehan._ What had he told her to make her _pity_ him?

“Anna, you’re shivering. Please, come in. Sit. I’ll make you some tea, fix you a warm bath—“

“No,” she hissed, taking a step back. “No. Let me know when you’re planning… _the ceremony_ for. I don’t want a reception, a party. There’s nothing to celebrate.”

“Surely the kingdom, _your people_ will want to—“

“No reception. If your brothers must come for the ceremony, so be it. But I will not celebrate marrying _you.”_

“As you wish.”

* * *

He revels in holding her small body against his. She still shivers— it seems like she’s always shivering, since Elsa put the ice inside her, but it’s less intense when she’s in his arms.

The wind howls and she jumps up from his embrace.

“It’s just the wind, my love,” he says, gathering her shaking form back into his arms. She won’t resist his name calling, she won’t fight him. It’s night time. And everything is different at night time.

“Hans,” she whispers, her small hand stroking against his bare chest.

“Are you alright, my love?”

She hums, and he can feel her body relax with renewed tiredness. Nights. They were perfect.

“Thank you. For keeping me warm. _Always.”_

_Perfect._

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait on this one. I'm a busy college student and did't have as much time as I would've liked (Evermore took 7 months to finish, for context).
> 
> This will be the first work set in a specific universe, in which, rather than the whole 'evil monologue', Hans did kiss Anna, it just didn't work, so, of course, he took the next logical step: killing Elsa (I'm joking). You'll also get a good look at some of my headcanons about the Southern Isles and Hans's brothers, so I'm excited to put all that out into the universe.
> 
> In short, I hope you enjoyed, and keep your eyes peeled for more! ALSO! I am back on Tumblr – my url is glm-mer, hope to see you all there! :)


End file.
